Romans 12:1-2 — Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
When we come to Christ, we should turn from our worldly ways and strive to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord. This will result in a transformation of our minds and actions. Once this happens, our perspective changes and the hard realities and injustices that we were once blind to now consume our minds and hurt our hearts. We long for something to change in the world, but it comes first from a change within ourselves.
What would the world look like if everyone strived to love each other the way that God loves us? What if we approached all people and all situations from a place of gracious love in response to the grace and love that God has shown to us? With love at the core of our approach, our response to the issues of poverty, orphaned & abandoned children, hunger, abuse, etc. would drastically change.
I have experienced this transformation and changed perspective personally and I will never be the same because of it. I see things differently and know that I have to respond and do something. This is a permanent change within so I chose to represent it in a permanent way . . . a tattoo. My tattoo displays a prominent Gandhi quote on my arm that reads, “Be the Change you want to see in the world.”
My tattoo is a reminder to me each day to live a life that exhibits that change that took place in me when I decided to follow Christ and to live out my response to the issues of this world as an example to those around me. I think that it is important that we not just identify the change that is needed or to merely call out for that change. We need to take it to the next level and live out that change. We need to BE THE CHANGE. This is what I have challenged myself to aspire to in my own life, and I’m excited to see how the Lord will use this.
How much change could take place in this world if we all did this? How much would your circle of influence change if YOU did this?
